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May 15, 2003
Is My Fairy Godmother Out to Lunch? 5/15/03
On Monday, Jaida went to OT because Debbie won’t be there tomorrow. Since the therapy center is near Jaida’s new school, we stopped there afterwards to try and register. I was under the impression that I could take the paperwork with me and bring it back with the necessary documents like Jaida’s immunization record and such. Instead, I was met with attitude by the school secretary when she couldn’t understand how the special ed department was placing Jaida in a school outside our zone. I had neglected to bring a copy of the IEP and transportation request so I was fighting a losing battle. Madame Secretary finally gave up and presented me with a form outlining the acceptable paperwork I would need to bring to complete the registration process. I had to have Jaida’s social security card, birth certificate, immunization record and a utility bill that showed our address. Great.
I took Jaida to school and then I went to work and called the pediatrician’s office for a copy of her shot record. I couldn’t pick it up until the next day anyway so I decided to do that on my lunch hour on Tuesday. The rest of Monday went normally. On Tuesday I drove all the way across town to the doc’s office. What should I find when I get there? The office was closed for a staff meeting until 1:30. I looked at my clock and it was only 12:20. It would take at least 15 minutes to get back to work so I couldn’t wait. Oh well, there was always Wednesday. I consoled my self with some Pepper Steak from the best Chinese place in town and went back to work.
Wednesday was the day of Jaida’s dentist appointment. I picked her up first and then I got Jarod. My plan was to take Jarod home so he could take a nap and I wouldn’t have to drag him with us. I flew home, only to discover Mom was not there. What the…? I didn’t have time to wait. I went inside and got Jarod’s jacket since the weather was pretty chilly and it looked like rain. I passed Mom on the way to the interstate and I wondered where on earth she had been. She called me on my cell phone and apologized. She had gotten confused about the appointment time. She offered to come and get Jarod but we had to go the other end of the city and I was pretty sure she didn’t have enough gas in her car to make it that far. I just sucked it up and went on.
Jarod pitched a fit when he couldn’t follow Jaida into the exam room. His sleepiness didn’t help the situation either. He tormented the lady behind us by patting her back and calling her momma. He thinks all women are named momma. Wonder why? They called me back after only 10 minutes. The news was not what I wanted to hear. The dental assistant said there was no infection around Jaida’s tooth and it was just barely hanging on. My options were to take her home and wait it out or let them pull both front teeth right then. I chose to wait since there was no infection and I didn’t want to subject Jaida to unnecessary dental work. Not to mention what that would cost. I decided to go pick up her shot record and try to register her before school was out for the day.
We got to the school and as my luck would have it, they were having some type of program. I almost didn’t get a parking space. Finally, we got one and I belted Jarod into the stroller and off we went. I gave Madame Secretary all the papers and explained our situation again. She gave me a suspicious glance but she took them and read over the IEP and transportation form. I waited while she inspected each form and then she made copies. She gave me the forms to fill out and I sat in the lobby. Jaida kept saying she was ready to go. Jarod wanted to get out of the stroller and dance to the music that was streaming down the hall from the lunchroom. Just as I was almost finished, it started raining cats, dogs and buckets.
I gave the secretary the forms back and she said she would still have to verify Jaida’s placement with the special ed coordinator at the school. I told her we had already met her and toured the whole school last month. When I mentioned Mrs. Glover by name, Madame Secretary changed her tune. She was suddenly very friendly, “Oh, well, it should all be fine then. Just call me a few weeks before school starts and make sure her placement has been secured.” Sneaking into schools that are out of zone must be a booming black market business or something. Whatever. Oh, I got soaked down to my underwear buckling everybody into the car.
Trouble on the Horizon
Last week, another devastating blow was dealt to the school system. They’ve been broke for years but hanging on with cutbacks and school closings. This past fall it became clear that time was running out. Our former governor tried and failed to get a lottery started four years ago. He was good friends with the former governor of GA and the lottery was what his whole campaign was based on. He saw what the schools across the state were heading towards and he wanted to stop it back then. But, oh no! When it went to a public vote, the people of AL said NO WAY. I guess they liked having all those portable classrooms (IE: trailers) and large student-teacher ratios.
Anyway, they tried to pass an occupational tax bill that would penalize the residents of two neighboring counties if they work in this county. After going all the way to the state Supreme Court, it was ruled unconstitutional. So far, the system has been getting by on a one cent sales tax increase for the last six months but that will soon run out. Now it seems that the only way to avoid a total shut down is to cut the budget by $22 million dollars. Where is that going to come from? They plan on firing at least 200 teachers for starters. They won’t even be able to pay the maintenance personnel and they will have to eliminate administrative positions as well. The scariest thing is the elimination of all the security guards and the closing of two more elementary schools. A new high school that was close to completion is not going to open at all next fall. All this leaves me wondering what will happen to special education next year. They’ve cut athletics so special ed can’t be far behind.
Maybe My Fairy Godmother is on a Leave of Absence
Today was the worst day of the week so far. Last time I said that, it got worse. I shouldn’t jinx myself like I did earlier today. I was giddy about not having to go anywhere and then it happened. The rain we had earlier in the week and today brought a nice cold front so you know what that means don’t you? Jarod started coughing again. This morning, he seemed tired and his eyes looked funny. He wanted to go to school so I let him. When I picked him up, he felt warm and his nose had been running. I called to ask the nurse’s opinion and she said what I already knew. Dr. Simon would need to check him over.
Today the office was busier than ever and we waited 45 minutes. Just as I thought, we got a prescription for oral steroids. Dr. Simon said that the next time the weather changed or the coughing started to just increase the Pulmicort treatments to three times a day instead of once and that would be way less steroid in his system than oral steroids. I had already tried everything I knew and that comment made me feel slightly inadequate. Of course I know Dr. Simon didn’t mean it that way, he’s just worried about Jarod taking so many courses of oral steroids in such a short span. But if that is the only thing that helps, what can I do? I don’t think the Singulair is working and we won’t see Dr. Grad until late June for another pulmonologist follow-up. Sigh…
We got finished at the doc’s office just in time to pick Jaida up. Then we went to the pharmacy. Even though it was 10 after 4:00, the pharmacist said to come back at 4:30. I went up the street to McDonald’s to get Jaida some fries to stop the whines of, “I’m hungry.” I went back to Walgreen’s and it was 4:25. As I was sitting in the lane waiting to make a left turn, I had a thought. It was a busy intersection and traffic was awful. I was thinking this was a prime spot for accidents. No sooner than the thought left my head, I hear the sound of tires squealing on wet pavement. I start looking around and I realize it’s coming from behind. BAM! I hear the impact and I look in my rear view mirror. Four cars behind, some idiot has slammed into a car that caused a domino effect and makes the woman in back of me slam into me. It was only a tap and we weren’t hurt, thank God.
I pulled onto the median and got out to inspect the damage. Amazingly, there was only a minor scrape and no dent. I thought about how long it would take for the police to come and do a report. In the end, I decided it wasn’t worth my time to do a report for some minimal damage. The other three cars were not so lucky. I whipped into Walgreen’s and had to go inside since two cars were ahead of me in the drive-thru. Once inside, I went to the pharmacy and the dufus that told me 4:30 looked shocked to see me back so soon. A technician that knows me well, promised to get Jarod’s medicine ready if I wanted to wait. What choice did I have? I already knew that once I got home, there was no way I would come back.
We ended up waiting for almost 20 minutes and I was past the point of pisstivity. Jaida was whining about being hungry and ready to go. Jarod was coughing nonstop and buckling himself into the cart only to beg to be unbuckled again. It was a long wait. In the meantime I went around the store and tossed several useful items into the cart. Of course I got a People and some new nail polish. Then I got Jaida a new comb and some hair goop. By the time we were on the way home (in 5:00 traffic), I felt myself teetering on the edge of psychosis. I had tears in my eyes but I was laughing at the same time. Sad, I tell you. Thank God tomorrow is Friday!
I gave Jarod his steroids, all 8 ml’s of it, and then I took a long shower. I was so hot and sticky, I felt encrusted with dirt. I made a quick dinner and then bathed the kids. Then I gave Jarod another Pulmicort treatment, his Singulair, a couple squirts of nose spray and some cough medicine. He was out like a light. Now I think I need to follow suit. Tomorrow is my 24 week appointment and I get to have a lovely, full-bodied ’03 Glucola for breakfast. Please pray/send a mojo/do a rain dance that I pass the GTT. Although with three strikes against me, Dr. D will probably make me take the three hour test just for kicks. I love him but he is a sadist.
Kim, Jaida, Jarod & Lambchop
PS~ Our short list of names has been narrowed down to Mason, Devon, Malcolm and yes, Jensen is still in the running. Steve didn’t like Jameson, Camden or Dorian. He doesn’t know it yet but I plan to put Etienne down as the middle name. Hey, it is the French version of Steven after all and way back about eight generations there was Louisiana Cajun in my family. So there. :p
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